Where the future is still nuclear

Four former eastern bloc countries have not only not given up on nuclear power: they are expanding their generating capacity to become more energy independent, in the hope of exporting electricity to Germany.

by Hélène Bienvenu and
Sébastien Gobert

“The nuclear power station is the best thing that has ever happened to us,” said János Hajdú, the mayor of Paks. This Hungarian town on the Danube has an atom symbol in silver on its flag, which hung behind his desk. “Paks is quite small,” he said. “We have a population of about 19,500 but wages are (...)